Program

A Montessori program differs from others in that there are no set times or limits upon a child's interest in reading, math, geography, or other activities. The child enters in the morning, chooses his/her own work, completes it alone, or with another child, or with the help of a teacher, puts it away and chooses another activity. The room includes the following areas.


Practical Life

The practical life exercises provide meaningful activity for young children who are anxious to imitate adults. Children work to perfect themselves. There is real joy in learning to pour water without spilling, to beat soap suds until the bowl is full, to zip your own jacket, to tie your own shoes. In so doing, coordination, concentration and good work habits are formed. Practical life exercises build self confidence and a sense of independence.


Sensorial

The sensorial exercises develop the powers of observation and sharpen the senses. What is red? What is blue? What is a triangle? What is rough? What is long? What is cold? How do sounds differ? Practice with sensorial materials such as sandpaper, blocks, bells, colors and fabrics help the child to discriminate and appreciate what he/she perceives. Little by little he/she is able to bring order out of chaos, to distinguish, categorize and relate new information to what he/she already knows.


Academic

The academic exercises are a natural continuation of the sensorial and practical life experiences. Children who have learned to listen carefully are able to perceive subtle differences in the sounds of letters. Discrimination of size by using cylinder blocks as well as the fine control of small finger muscles help prepare a child for reading and writing. Children use rods, beads and spindles to sort, count, and measure in preparation for the mathematical operations.

Although some children read at four or five years and may be able to tell time, understand the calendar or add and subtract, it is not the practice of the Montessori Academy to push children into academic activity. Pre-school children can and do absorb many difficult concepts if they meet them in concrete form at an early age when they enjoy manipulating material. But each child has his/her own sensitive periods, and his/her own timetable for development.